The second richest billionaire in England takes action, Man Utd begins to reform

Last night (November 15), Man Utd announced an important change. CEO Richard Arnold left his position. That was the first move signaling changes at the Old Trafford team when new investor Jim Ratcliffe began to intervene.

As a born and bred son of Manchester, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has long been a Man Utd fan. Watching his beloved team struggle over the years has made the INEOS Group chairman unable to sit still.

After the Middle Eastern owners withdrew from buying Man Utd, the billionaire with a total asset of 21 billion pounds was determined to create a revolution to change the face of the "Red Devils", and at the same time bring this club back to the pinnacle of glory soon.

Listening to Cristiano Ronaldo?

“When I returned to Man United in 2021, I was shocked because everything, from the training ground to the gym, was exactly the same as when I left in 2009,” Cristiano Ronaldo did not hesitate to attack the board of directors in an interview with Piers Morgan earlier this year.

Ronaldo’s complaints were not in vain because after this world-shaking interview, the Man Utd board spent several million pounds to upgrade some items at Carrington. However, this move was just a “drop in the ocean”.

Both the Carrington complex and Old Trafford have been neglected for many years, leading to serious deterioration. Fans have repeatedly discovered rats running around the “Theatre of Dreams”. In recent major sporting events held in England, Man City’s Etihad Stadium has been the chosen venue. This is a strong “slap” to those who are in charge of managing Old Trafford.

Old Trafford was once the pride of Manchester city. Photo: Reuters.

Right from the beginning of negotiations to buy 25% of Man United's shares, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he would not call for investment or borrow money to build a new stadium for the red half of Manchester. Instead, this billionaire would spend 245 million pounds of his own money to renovate the facilities for his beloved team.

In addition to adding more items such as relaxation rooms and yoga rooms, the British billionaire also has the ambition to turn Old Trafford into the most magnificent and modern stadium in the world. The home stadium of the "Red Devils" will be increased in capacity from more than 74,000 to 90,000. In addition, he also wants to turn this place into a place that harmoniously combines sports and entertainment.

The £245 million amount mentioned above is not related to the £1.4 billion purchase of Man United shares. Therefore, the "Red Devils" will not have to bear any additional debt.

Changes from the top of the team

In addition to securing Erik ten Hag's future, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first move in rebuilding Man Utd was to change the management. Chief executive Richard Arnold was the first name to be removed, despite having worked for Man Utd for 16 years and helped the team earn many lucrative contracts.

Patrick Stewart, Man Utd's general counsel, will be appointed as an interim replacement for Richard Arnold. In addition, technical director Darren Fletcher is also about to leave his position due to his lack of contribution to the team's management.

Not stopping there, Man Utd's minority shareholders also want to remove John Murtough, who is currently in the role of football director. In his 2 years in office, Murtough has failed to complete his duties of scouting and supporting the first team.

Man Utd's recent signings have not been worth the money, notably Jadon Sancho (85 million euros), Antony (95 million euros), Raphael Varane (40 million euros). Spending 70 million euros to buy a player over 30 like Casemiro also made Jim Ratcliffe unhappy.

John Murtough (left) and Darren Fletcher (right). Photo: Sky Sports.

Ratcliff will install some of his confidants to facilitate management, notably Sir Dave Brailsford, who is doing well at cycling team Sky and Ligue 1 football club Nice.

Man Utd will focus on discovering and recruiting players with long-term value, instead of spending money to bet on stars, then having to sell them at a loss or lose them for nothing after a short time.

The Man Utd rebuilding plan has been prepared by Ratcliffe and his associates for a long time. With what has happened, is happening and will happen, the "Red Devils" fans have the right to hope that the team will soon shorten the gap in level with Man City and Liverpool.

Minh Tu

Source: https://vtc.vn/ty-phu-giau-thu-2-nuoc-anh-ra-tay-man-utd-bat-dau-cai-to-ar834410.html